Electric Vehicles (EVs) remain a small percentage of the cars on American roads. But EV registrations are gaining speed. In the first three months of 2021, Americans registered new EVs at three times the rate of other types of new cars.
Registrations Up for Every Type
According to a new report from Experian, overall new car registrations from January to April were 36% higher than one year before. Dealers have been enjoying booming sales as the economy recovers from the lows of last year’s COVID-19-related lockdowns. Car dealers are running short of some popular models.
Through the first four months of 2021, registrations of new EVs were up 95% from the same period in 2020. However, electric cars remain a small percentage of the market – just 2.3% in the first quarter of 2021.
Tesla Dominates Numbers
Tesla continued to dominate the category – 71% of new EVs registered were Tesla products. Two models saw the most registrations – Americans obtained license plates for more than 53,000 new Model Y SUVs and more than 35,000 Model 3 sedans. The Chevy Bolt, Ford Mustang Mach-E, and Nissan Leaf rounded out the top five.
Many automakers are pushing out new electric models in 2021, however. Numbers for the same period in 2022 could look vastly different, depending on the success of new models like the Ford F-150 Lightning, Volkswagen ID.4, and Hyundai Ioniq 5.
EVs Catching on Outside California
California saw more new EVs registered than any other state. But other states are chipping away at its lead. The Golden State represented 38% of new EV registrations in the first quarter of 2021, compared to 45% one year ago. Florida came in second, with 7.2%. Texas showed, with 5.9%.
New EV registrations, January through April 2021:
- Tesla Model Y 53,102
- Tesla Model 3 35,468
- Chevrolet Bolt EV 13,611
- Ford Mustang Mach-E 6,104
- Nissan Leaf 5,023
- Audi e-tron 4,321
- Porsche Taycan 3,002
- Hyundai Kona 2,192
- Tesla Model X 1,730
- Tesla Model S 1,633
